Histologic study of tissues and organs from rats exposed to vapors of 2-nitropropane at 25 ppm

Derivation of cancer no significant risk levels and screening safety assessment for 2-nitropropane in spray products

Two proposition 65 no-significant-risk level (NSRL)-type values were derived for 2-nitropropane (2-NP), in the absence of a Californian published NSRL. In addition, a safety assessment was performed based on estimated typical consumer inhalation and dermal exposure to 2-NP during indoor application of paint from a spray can containing the solvent 1-nitropropane. For the NSRL derivation, benchmark dose (BMD) modeling was performed using hepatocellular carcinoma incidence data from 2-NP single exposure inhalation studies in Sprague-Dawley rats. Several BMD models provided an acceptable fit for the male rat hepatocellular carcinoma incidence data (gamma, log-probit, log-logistic and multistage); therefore, the mean of the BMD lower limits from each model were used as the point of departure to derive the inhalation cancer potency. The oral human cancer potency was derived from the inhalation human cancer potency based on the ratio of the uptake factors for inhalation vs. oral routes. The derived inhalation and oral NSRLs are 67 μg/day and 32 μg/day, respectively. For the inhalation and dermal exposure assessment, three key factors were analyzed: the 2-NP residual concentration in the spray paint product, the mass of spray paint used and the frequency of use. Based on the screening exposure assessment, potential consumer inhalation and dermal exposure to 2-NP from indoor application of paint from a spray can does not exceed our proposed NSRLs, and a warning label is therefore not required for spray can products containing the solvent 1-nitropropane where 2-NP is a minor contaminant.

Repeated-dose liver micronucleus assay: an investigation with 2-nitropropane, a hepatocarcinogen

The utility of the repeated-dose liver micronucleus (RDLMN) assay in the detection of a genotoxic hepatocarcinogen was evaluated. In this paper, a rat hepatocarcinogen, 2-nitropropane (2-NP), was administered orally to young adult rats for 14 and 28 days without a partial hepatectomy or a mitogen, and the micronucleus induction in liver was examined using a simple method to isolate hepatocytes. In addition, a bone marrow micronucleus assay was conducted concomitantly. The frequency of micronucleated hepatocytes induced by 2-NP increased significantly in both the 14- and 28-day repeated-dose studies, while the bone marrow micronucleus assays were negative in each study. These results indicate that the RDLMN assay is useful for detecting a genotoxic hepatocarcinogen that is negative in bone marrow micronucleus assays and is a suitable in vivo genotoxicity test method for integration into a repeated-dose general toxicity study.

Micronucleus test in bone marrow of mice treated with 1-nitropropane, 2-nitropropane and cisplatin

Micronucleus tests were carried out in bone marrow of mice treated with 1-nitropropane, 2-nitropropane and cisplatin. For 1-nitropropane and 2-nitropropane the results were negative. With cisplatin a dose-dependent increase in the number of polychromatic erythrocytes with micronuclei was observed. The lowest positive dose was 0.1 mg/kg (P less than 0.001, Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test). The hepatocarcinogen 2-nitropropane showed clastogenic activity in human lymphocytes in vitro in the presence of S9 (Bauchinger et al., 1987). The negative results in bone marrow suggest that short-lived genotoxic metabolites may be formed in the liver but do not reach the bone marrow.

Analysis of cytogenetic effect in human lymphocytes induced by metabolically activated 2-nitropropane

Chromosome analyses were carried out in human lymphocytes treated in vitro with 2-nitropropane (2-NP) in the presence and absence of the mammalian metabolic activation system, S9 mix. Without S9 mix, only the frequency of gaps was significantly increased at 80 mM 2-NP as compared to controls. With S9 mix, the incidences of gaps and chromatid-type aberrations were significantly increased at 60 mM and 80 mM. Sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) have been induced at concentrations as low as 7.5 mM. The present findings demonstrate that in human lymphocytes, 2-NP requires metabolic activation to express clastogenicity and SCEs.

Cytochrome P-450-mediated denitrification of 2-nitropropane in mouse liver microsomes

Enzymatic denitrification of 2-nitropropane (2NP) was investigated in an NADPH-dependent hepatic microsomal system from male CD1 mice. The involvement of cytochrome P-450 (P-450) as the catalyst in 2NP denitrification was revealed by the induction of nitrite-releasing activity following phenobarbital (PB) pretreatment, by a decrease in activity with carbon tetrachloride pretreatment, by the inhibition of the reaction with classical P-450 inhibitors, and by the observation of a type I binding spectrum. Under optimal conditions, two pH-dependent peaks of activity were observed at pH 7.6 and pH 8.8, each with its own optimal substrate concentration. Inhibition of the reaction by metyrapone and carbon monoxide (CO) (among others) produced differential responses dependent on pH. These results, along with two pH optima and two substrate optima, suggested the involvement of multiple P-450 isozymes. Average specific activities were 8.05 nmoles of nitrite released per minute per milligram microsomal protein at pH 7.6 and 6.44 nmoles of nitrite released per minute per milligram microsomal protein at pH 8.8. Acetone was identified as the second product of the reaction by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Stoichiometry studies indicated that the acetone production was slightly less than expected (about 70%) from nitrite release. Up to 25% residual activity was observed under anaerobic conditions. These results suggested that though the predominant reaction mechanism was oxidative, oxygen-independent metabolism of 2NP also occurred to some extent. In contrast to the reported lack of activity in untreated rat, the observed denitrification in uninduced mouse liver microsomes was significant and suggested that major species-specific differences exist in the in vitro metabolism of 2NP.

Enzymatic denitrification of 2-nitropropane in uninduced mouse liver microsomes

Hepatic microsomes from 5 strains of untreated mice were tested for the ability to enzymatically cleave the nitro group from 2-nitropropane (2NP). All strains showed significant NADPH-dependent nitrite release at pH 7.6 and pH 8.8. Statistical differences in nitrite-releasing activity between strains were found between BALB and PL/J and ATH strains at pH 7.6. At pH 8.8, BIO.M differed from CD-1 and BALB. These results are in contrast to a report of little or no denitrification activity in uninduced rats and suggest that the 2NP microsomal metabolism may be of greater importance than previously thought.